Nautili
The Nautili, (or Crinusmanus astrum), who call themselves the Ng'glthi, are the squid-like denizens of Ng'lth'ch. They make up a large majority of the space pirates within the galaxy. Biology and Physiology The Nautili are one of the more enigmatic races in the galaxy. In appearance they are 5-6 feet tall, composed of 9 long articulate tentacles, and numerous small grasping tentacles around the mouth, all emerging from a large spiral shell. They stand semi-bipedally on 6 of their tentacles, although they occasionally become tripedal if they need the added support. The average Nautili will live to be about 80 years old, provided that they refrain from cybernetic augmentation. History The Nautili were uplifted by the Klcxiix several thousand years ago. Culture Nautilian Society is separated into three castes, based upon membership to a pirate crew: *The Admiralty: brilliant naval strategists, and the captains of ships. A particularly skilled Nautilian Admiral can win any naval engagement, regardless of how bad the odds are. *Crewmen: The most common class, Crewmen start as lowly grunts and deckswabs aboard Nautilian ships, but they rise in position slowly. It is not uncommon for a Crewman to eventually be promoted to Admiralty. *Landlubbers: The most respected caste in Nautilian culture, the Landlubbers provide services that require staying offship for long periods of time. Colonists, ambassadors, and planetary engineers are all Landlubbers. The Nautilian pirates truly have a culture all their own as well. Nautilian pirates do not subscribe to traditional notions of property ownership; rather, they believe that one should be able to defend what is theirs, and if another can successfully take it, that person deserves it. This applies to weapons, ships, crews, homes, mates, etc. However, the pirates apply these rules mainly to each other, as well as other species. They refrain from plundering Landlubbers, out of honor and respect. However, that is not to say that other species are given such honors. Nautilian pirates frequently raid other starships for goods, to the extent that many ships carry offerings just to appease them. As long as they come away with something they didn’t have before, Nautilian pirates are often satisfied. Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t more ruthless ones out there. The Nautilian pirates’ views on property rights apply to every except the landlubbers, so they believe that if they can take all of the cargo of another race’s ship, it is theirs. The piratical attitudes and lifestyle are so ingrained in Nautilian culture that they do it without thinking at this point. It is part of their collective conscious--their cultural memory--to be pirates. Nautilian Pirates are so common that most traders carry extra goods, simply to give them to the Nautili when they are boarded by the Nautilian drones. Should they refuse, the Pirate Admiral will simply open fire, calmly waiting until the trader surrenders, or explodes. The Nautilians are not a race without taboos. Due to the fact that they have many tentacles, they often coil these tentacles around each other to form impromptu legs for better ambulation. However, it is considered impolite to show this coil, so many Nautili take to wearing long coats that resemble old naval coats or dusters. The shell is a powerful symbol to the Nautili. They worship their ancestors’ shells, and they live in the massive shells of underwater behemoths. A Nautilian never outgrows his or her shell, rather their shells grow with them, becoming larger and more ornate as the Nautilian ages. Their shells are often vibrant and colorful, with patterns and colors that are unique to each shell. It is for this reason that, for a Nautili, the shell is the ultimate form of expression, especially for space pirates. Nautilian pirates often decorate their shells with the crest of their pirate crew, the same crest they put on their ship. Religion The Nautili practice what many would consider ancestor worship. Due to the fact that Nautilian shells are made out of compounds that are resistant to erosion, the Nautili have been able to keep and revere the shells of their ancestors. Of course, not all Nautili have access to the shells of their ancestors, for a plethora of reasons, such as them being lost at space, or completely melted by a beam weapon. These Ancestorless Nautilians are not discriminated against by their peers, however they often find themselves feeling lost, sometimes causing them to leave the city, perhaps to search for meaning or purpose. Due to the piratical nature of many Nautilians’ lives, the issue of what to do with a fallen man’s shell is often brought up. Generally, the Admiral will establish rules for those under his or her command. Some make sure to salvage all of the shells of fallen Nautili, in hopes of returning them to their families, while others like to collect the shells for themselves, as organic trophies. Furthermore, there are those that merely ignore the shells of the fallen, and those that sell them in black markets for a high price. It all depends on the etiquette and religiosity of the leader. Economy The Nautilian economy is driven almost entirely by space piracy. The pirates raid goods and trade them amongst themselves and the landlubbers, cycling currency between the two groups and essentially funding the entire Nautilian society. Technology The Nautili, who were uplifted by the Klcxiix thousands of years ago, have grown reliant on Klcxiixian tech. Most of their technology is now outdated, and they typically just "trade" with the Klcxiix and the rest of the races of the galaxy to acquire functional technology. Nautilian pirates act as the main acquisitioners of technology, raiding ships indiscriminantly, barring those of the landlubbers, of course, and "trading" for new tech. They even raid Klcxiix ships, despite the fact that the Klcxiix uplifted them. The Klcxiix don't mind this much, however, as they just see it as a trade, of sorts, giving the Nautilian pirates lower-quality steelweaver hide and older gun models that no one would have purchased otherwise The Klcxiix do this purely because the things they give the Nautili are typically outdated and would not have sold on proper galactic markets, and giving them away is cheaper than destroying them. Nautilian starship design is based off of Klcxiixian ships, augmented, often rather shoddily, with their own native technologies. The Nautili make use of kinetic weapons and physical rams for their spaceships and weapons. They have a fondness for harpoons in particular. Governmental Structure The Nautilian government suffers from a great schism between the pirates and the non-pirates, the landlubbers. The pirates have split off into countless clans and bands, with little to no organization between them, for the most part. They are even known to raid each other. However, the admirals do occasionally call a summit whereupon all clans meet on a designated planet to settle territory disputes and hunting grounds in a more civilized matter. The landlubbers, on the other hand, have much smaller numbers than the pirates, thus they can afford smaller cities and smaller population densities. For this reason, something akin to communism works fairly well for the landlubbers. They share much of their goods and are able to maintain some of the lowest crime rates in the galaxy. The landlubbers regard the pirates as honorable outcasts, as the pirates actually drive the Nautilian economy. The landlubbers view the pirates as abnormal, but inspiring, and above all else, useful, and the pirates respect that, leaving their non-pirate brethren alone. Military The Nautili have no traditional military, instead, they rely on the pirates, who have been known to band together for major threats to the Nautilian people. Section heading Write the second section of your page here. Section heading Write the second section of your page here. Category:Races Category:Nautili Category:Xenox Primorix